Bruce McCandless lives in Austin and studied folklore at the University of Texas. That's where he learned about the surprisingly rich oil-field lore with deep roots as far back as 1911, the year in which the denizens of his latest novel, “Sour Lake: Or, The Beast,” set in East Texas, are fearing for their lives. Someone or something is terrorizing them and leaving in its wake bodies mutilated and bled dry.

There is a real Sour Lake still today that boasts a population of almost 2,000. In the early 1900s, it was known as a boomtown and eventually became the birthplace of Texaco. It remains the oldest continuously producing oil field in the world. In McCandless' 1911 Ochiltree County, racial tensions simmer to boiling over and economic hardship is a constant companion.

Besides all that, the seemingly unstoppable Beast lies in wait.

Enter Sheriff Reeves Duncan. Amid the graphic details of the savagery that befalls a small cast of unfortunate characters, he is the one who must hatch a plan to solve the murders and find the impenitent killer.

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He doesn't ask for but gets the aid of one Capt. Jewel T. Lightfoot, Texas Ranger. Sheriff Duncan thought that “Rangers were a mixed blessing for a local lawman.” He thought they weren't “precise” enough and “didn't care what kind of mess they left behind when they got home.” A black doctor and an idiot savant are among others who round out the rough, though no less dedicated, investigators out to unravel the mystery of The Beast, but only after they penetrate the Big Thicket — a physical and metaphorical no-man's land for its intolerance and poverty.

There is a lot that is historically factual in this novel. That's part of the fun of reading “Sour Lake.” At least one of the characters is based on an actual person, and sordid, unimaginable true tales of blood lust make up the seedbed for some of the violence. McCandless scrupulously advances the narrative through epistolary digressions and actual newspaper accounts.

The back cover of the book warns that it is not intended for readers younger than 18, but even young fans of the horror genre could stomach the rough descriptions. The “fact-based story contains graphic descriptions of violence, terror, and gunplay.” And that's all true. But it reminds us that not that long ago, this part of the country was a lawless, treacherous place.

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Sour Lake, Or, The Beast

By Bruce McCandless

Ninth Planet Press, $9.99

http://www.amazon.com/Bruce-McCandless-III/e/B004FJPT8U

“Sour Lake” is a cautionary tale for today. It reminds us that to fend off the worst of what can befall man, the rest of us should “unite” and “find the strength to fight” together.